Facilitating inclusive resilient and sustainable trade

This project aims to help realize the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It does so by creating safer and more equitable trading conditions for 300 000 small scale cross-border women traders who are disproportionally affected by discrimination harassment and corrupt practices at border crossings. The project supports trade associations and ministries of trade in targeted countries on new border processes and procedures along the Beira trade corridor which runs from the southern Democratic Republic of Congo to the port of Beira in Mozambique. Project activities include: (1) training on new border processes and coaching of women-led enterprises on business and financial management; (2) designing and implementing mechanisms to address sexual harassment at the borders; and (3) improving existing data collection systems including developing and disseminating trade-related data disaggregated by sex age and ability.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) improved access of women-led micro small and medium-sized enterprises to the socio-economic benefits and investment related to the AfCFTA; (2) reduced gender discrimination and gender barriers in trade policy implementation by providing training and capacity building to Ministries of trade industry and commerce; and (3) improved access to quality gender-sensitive trade-related data and evidence by developing a strategy in collaboration with government officials to improve existing data collection systems.